


what's shakin, lexie? (other than you?)

by love_of_the_night



Category: Black Friday - Team StarKid
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, Lowercase, Nonbinary Ethan Green, On Purpose, Parent Henry Hidgens, he's ethan's uncle, i think i just tossed angst and fluff into a blender and hit the "fuck it" button, kind of, so but he's a better parental figure than anyone else in their lives
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-15
Updated: 2020-03-15
Packaged: 2021-02-28 22:35:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,685
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23154922
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/love_of_the_night/pseuds/love_of_the_night
Summary: “hey, ethan?”“what’s shakin’, lexie? other than you, holy shit, you okay, lex?”“can me and hannah come over tonight?”“uh, coming over’s not really the best idea tonight, lexie, dad’s kinda…” ethan made a noise that mirrored the way they felt about their father. “but we could do somethin’ else? hangout at the mall, at beanie’s maybe?”“yeah, yeah, that works. anything to get away from my mom.”
Relationships: Ethan Green & Hannah Foster, Ethan Green & Henry Hidgens, Hannah Foster & Lex Foster, Lex Foster/Ethan Green
Comments: 17
Kudos: 150





	what's shakin, lexie? (other than you?)

**Author's Note:**

> i wrote this in three hours starting at three in the morning and i have no regrets  
> if there's any spelling mistakes let me know  
> also the summary is the first couple lines cause i suck at summaries :)))

mr. houston, after giving his lecture on power drills and when to use them, was walking around the classroom, making sure that no one would hurt their fingers when drilling into the pieces of scrap wood.

it was the perfect time for lex to “accidentally” bump into ethan green.

“hey, ethan?”

“what’s shakin’, lexie? other than you, holy shit, you okay, lex?”

“can me and hannah come over tonight?”

“uh, coming over’s not really the best idea tonight, lexie, dad’s kinda…” ethan made a noise that mirrored the way they felt about their father. “but we could do somethin’ else? hangout at the mall, at beanie’s maybe?”

“yeah, yeah, that works. anything to get away from my mom.”

ethan put a hand on their girlfriend’s shoulder, softening their voice. “sunshine, is everything okay?”

lex flinched away. “y-yeah, i’m fine. can we meet you after school?”

ethan backed off, trying to give lex some space, but still staying close. “of course, sunshine. i’ll be in my car, the spot i normally park it.”

“oh, no, it’s fine. hannah and i can walk.”

“walk? no. it’s pouring out there. i’m not making you walk, you’ll get sick!”

“okay.” lex said as she turned away from ethan, her voice shaking.

“so, after school, we drive to beanie’s and hang out there for a while? sound good to you, sunshine?”

“perfect.”

\---

“hey, banana,” ethan said to hannah as she climbed in the backseat of his car. “you ready to go to beanie’s?”

“yeah,” she said, not making eye contact with ethan through the mirror. she never did normally, of course, but this felt like a different kind of not making eye contact. this wasn’t uncomfortable looking-away, this was _terrified_ looking-away.

“hey, everything okay with you, banana?” ethan said, putting their arm behind the seat next to them, turning so they could see hannah better. they couldn’t miss the look in hannah’s eyes. petrified, staring at ethan’s arm, at the back of their hand.

“where’s lex?” hannah said, trembling, her eyes squeezing shut.

“probably got held up by mrs. stenson,” ethan said, their voice filled with concern. “did something-”

“hey, banana.” ethan was startled by lex closing the car door. “ready to go to beanie’s?”

ethan looked back at hannah. she had seemed to relax more since lex had gotten in the car. she nodded her head at lex. ethan turned to face their girlfriend.

“you ready to go, sunshine?” they said.

“yep.”

\---

ethan’s old car pulled into the beanie’s parking lot. when ethan got out, they made sure to close their car door as quietly as possible. when they opened the door for the sisters, they watched as hannah’s eyes shot up to the loud ding of the bell.

“do you want something to drink, banana?” they asked the girl.

“just hot chocolate, please.”

“will do. and for you, sunshine?”

“oh, i’m gonna get a black coffee.”

“do you wanna go pick a seat, and i’ll order for you?”

“sure.” lex said, following hannah as she walked to the booth by the window.

ethan stood in the line, which wasn’t moving very fast because it was packed with students trying to get an energy boost before their study sessions tonight. they looked back at lex and hannah, sitting in the booth. hannah was leaning against lex’s shoulder and lex rested her head on top of hannah’s. they both looked exhausted. it was weird seeing them both so tired. hannah would normally be swaying around, telling lex about her day and whether it was good or bad, about what webby said, about something her teacher or classmate said. if hannah wasn’t talking, then lex was asking her about her day or talking about her own.

but neither were moving. they were just lying there, almost asleep. the only reason ethan could tell that they weren’t was lex’s eyes staying open and moving.

they wondered why the girls were so tired. maybe both had really long days and just wanted to go to bed. maybe they had stayed up late doing homework. maybe… no, ethan didn’t want to think about that.

but lex flinching when they put their hand on her shoulder in shop class?

hannah staring at his hand then shutting him out when he turned around in the car?

_no._

_no._

_no._

_stop thinking about it._

_just move up in the line and order._

“how can i help you?”

“uh, hi, can i just get two black coffees and a hot chocolate, please?”

“of course, anything else i can get for you?”

“no, no, that’s it.”

“can i get a name for the order?”

“ethan.”

“alright, ethan, your order will be out in a few minutes!”

“thank you.”

they walked over to the table that hannah and lex were sitting at. “lexie?”

hannah’s eyes fluttered open. she nudged lex. “lexie, wake up, ethan’s back.”

lex’s eyes snapped open as she gasped. “oh, shit, sorry, babe, you scared me.”

ethan reached across the table to hold lex’s hand. their voice shook as they spoke. “you’re okay. did something happen last night?”

“what?”

“did something happen last night? you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, but…”

hannah looked towards lex for an answer.

“how could you tell?” lex said, her voice dropping in volume.

“lex…”

“yes, something happened last night,” lex said, her voice breaking.

ethan held her hand tighter.

tears started streaming down hannah’s face.

“mom got high. she smacked me. really fuckin’ hard. told us to get the hell out of her trailer. i tried to talk her down, but then,” lex started to cry alongside her sister.

“she hit _me_.” hannah whispered.

ethan felt their whole body tense. “what?” they whispered, not as a question, but in disbelief.

_no._

_no._

_no._

“two black coffees and a hot chocolate for ethan!”

great _timing, thank you_ so _much, barista._

ethan slipped out of the booth, grabbed the drinks, and came back.

they handed the drinks to lex and hannah.

there was a few minutes of silence at the table before anyone spoke again. each sipped their drinks, thinking about what had just been said.

“you can’t go back,” ethan said.

“i’m sure it was just another one of her ramblings, she won’t even remember tonight, i’m sure of it, i just needed to get away for a while.”

“no, lex, you _can’t go back._ you and hannah aren’t safe there.”

“where else are we supposed to go? your house?”

“no, no, no, i have this uncle. uncle henry, he’s my mom’s brother, he’s great. he’s a professor at a college somewhere across the bridge, you’ll love him.”

lex looked towards hannah for an answer.

hannah seemed to contemplate this for a moment.

“webby says henry is good.”

lex looked ethan in their eyes. “who am i to disrespect the wishes of an imaginary spider from outer space?”

\---

the car pulled up to the gates of ethan’s uncle’s house. ethan buzzed the intercom thing.

“who is it?” the static voice said from the speaker.

“uh, uncle henry, it’s me. ethan green.”

“oh. ethan! i’ll let you in!”

the gates creaked open and ethan drove his car forward.

“alright, i gotta warn you guys, he’s a biology professor, so you might see some weird stuff.”

“ethan!” henry called from the door of his home. “come in, come in!”

“i brought some friends, i hope you don’t mind.”

“no, no, not at all, ethan, come in!”

the three walked through the front door. lex and hannah marveled at the vastness of the professor’s living room.

“uh, make yourselves at home, girls, i’ll be right back. ethan, can i talk to you?” the professor said, pulling ethan into a side room.

closing the door, henry sat down on the bed and raised his eyebrows. “well, ethan?”

“...well?”

“are you going to explain why you’ve shown up on my doorstep with no prior warning and explicit directions from your mother to _stay away from me_ or are you just going to stand there?”

bursting into a flurry of words, ethan rambled. “i-i’m sorry, i didn’t know where else to go, lex is my girlfriend and hannah’s her little sister, their mom is a _bitch,_ and i couldn’t just let them go back to that trailer, that fucking _trailer,_ they deserve so much better, and i couldn’t take them back to my house, ‘cause y’know, my parents would lose their shit, and you accepted me when i came out, and you don’t have to, but please, uncle henry, _please,_ let them stay here, just for tonight, _please._ ”

“ethan, calm down. it’s okay. i’m not mad. i’ll let them stay.” henry spoke calmly, letting ethan cool down before they spoke again.

caught up in the rush of their talking, ethan looked at his uncle shocked. “you will?”

henry nodded, wiping a stray tear from ethan’s face that neither had noticed before. “as long as all of you need.”

“all of us?”

“you don’t actually believe i’d let them stay and make you leave? absolutely not, that won’t do at all. you’ll stay here until you can find somewhere else to live.”

“henry, i can always go back to my parents’ house.”

“somewhere else _safe_ to live, ethan.”

that shut ethan up really quick.

\---

ethan settled into the comfortable bed that henry had let them and lex sleep in. it was much softer than any bed that the two had previously slept in.

“he really said all of that?” lex said, still surprised that henry had accepted so quickly.

“every word, lex.”

“as long as we need?”

“as long as we need.”

“what does he think about, um, hannah?”

“loves her to pieces already.”

“and webby?”

“i don’t think he knows yet, but i think he’ll love webby.”

“...and me?”

“sunshine, go ask him yourself.”

“not right now. i‘m too tired.”

the pair snickered at that.

“i… i know it’s not california, sunshine, but it’s the best i can do right now.”

“anywhere feels like cali as long as i’m with you.”

and with a smile and a kiss, the two went to sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> i love henry hidgens with my whole heart  
> also hmu on tumblr: @ghostsinthewindow


End file.
